Speaking to broadcaster Polsat News, Tomasz Siemoniak said the Internal Security Agency (ABW), the Government Protection Service (SOP) and the police were examining whether foreign intelligence services played a role in the incident in the Baltic city of Sopot.
“We know that thanks to a very efficient police operation and the work of other services the car was recovered. Those are the facts,” Siemoniak said. “In situations like this we always assume the worst-case scenario might be true.”
He linked that approach to earlier sabotage cases resulting in major fires, including a major shopping center fire on Warsaw's Marywilska Street in May last year. He also cited a recent suspicious incident in which a drone flew over government buildings in Warsaw.
The daily Rzeczpospolita reported that the theft did not fit common criminal patterns and that the suspect appeared to be from outside the usual car theft circles.
According to the paper, the ABW is checking whether the case has a deeper motive, including a possible provocation aimed at discrediting SOP or compromising the vehicle, for example by installing surveillance equipment, or setting up disinformation.
Officials have not confirmed these possibilities and say all leads are being reviewed.
Police detained a 41-year-old local man, identified as Łukasz W., at Gdańsk Airport on Saturday morning as he prepared to fly to Burgas, Bulgaria, according to Polish state news agency PAP.
The car was found abandoned on a residential parking lot in nearby Gdańsk soon after the theft. Investigators said the Lexus showed no signs of forced entry, which suggests the use of advanced electronic tools, and they found forged license plates.
The suspect was charged with theft and burglary and with using counterfeit registration plates. A court in Gdańsk ordered three months of pre-trial detention.
If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.
Rzeczpospolita said the vehicle had been taken from a street under SOP presence close to the prime minister’s home, another detail that raised questions among investigators.
Siemoniak said authorities were verifying the suspect’s connections and that checking for possible foreign involvement was “of course” part of the probe.
The investigation is being led by the District Prosecutor’s Office in Sopot.
(rt/gs)
Source: PAP, polskieradio24.pl